Still Life with Hat, Parasol, and Clothes on a Chair 1887

"Still Life with Hat, Parasol, and Clothes on a Chair" is an undated conte crayon drawing on paper by French artist Georges Seurat. Seurat was working in France during a period of rapid social change. As industrialization progressed, class distinctions became increasingly visible and the roles of women in society were evolving. This artwork is a quiet commentary on these changes. It shows discarded objects of the bourgeoisie – a hat, a parasol, clothing – casually strewn over a chair. The items are intimate, suggesting a human presence, yet the figure is absent. The discarded garments evoke the vulnerability of the body and a sense of longing. Consider how the fashion items, especially the parasol and hat, were tools for constructing identity and communicating social status in 19th-century Paris. Seurat’s choice to depict these objects asks us to reflect on the constructed nature of identity, and the transient nature of material possessions, reflecting societal anxieties about modernity. The stark contrast of light and shadow gives the drawing an emotional depth, a blend of presence and absence.